


the after

by freedomatsea



Series: Hell's Kitchen Universe Pieces [7]
Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Post 1x13, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 03:29:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12762195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomatsea/pseuds/freedomatsea
Summary: No one will tell her where he went. If he's alive. So she finds him herself.





	the after

Karen waited until Madani had been discharged, before she started asking questions. She  _ knew _ that Frank wasn’t dead, but she wanted to know for certain that he wasn’t. She wanted confirmation that he’d made it out alive. Given how Billy’d come out of the fight, she figured Frank had been pretty beat up too. 

But no one would talk. Madani told her to stop pursuing it. The Liebermans wouldn’t talk. The trail was cold. Why hadn’t he shown himself to her? If he’d taken off, why hadn’t he said  _ goodbye _ . 

Or maybe she’d been completely wrong about whatever it was that they were. Or weren’t. Maybe that after didn’t exist, even after he’d killed everyone who’d taken his family away. Maybe he was too far gone to have an after. Maybe he thought he was protecting her by just slipping away into the night. 

Karen left the flowers in the window until they had completely dried up and died, the petals falling onto the windowsill around the vase.

There was one last place she hadn’t looked for him yet. Curtis’ veterans meetings. If Frank was still around the city, maybe Curtis had seen him. Maybe he would at least know where she could find him. 

Then there he was. Standing outside of the building, talking to one of the other guys. He looked good. Not bruised up. Not battered. He almost seemed  _ calm _ . Which wasn’t a state of being she’d ever really seen him in. 

“Hey stranger.” Karen said gently, coming up to him, chewing on her bottom lip. 

“ _ Karen _ .” Frank met her gaze, before looking at the other guy. “I’ll see you inside, man.”

Karen waited until the door shut, before she spoke again. “I thought you were dead.”

“Surprise.” He said awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head. “Look Karen…”

“Don’t  _ look Karen _ me.” She gritted out. “God, I’m stupid. I actually thought that we were at a place where you’d let me know you were okay.”

“You’re not stupid Karen.” Frank blew out a breath, raking his hand over his face. “I was in a bad way after everything went down. I’ve been trying to get my head in straight.”

“And you couldn’t drop a line and tell me you were okay? Jesus Christ, Frank. I didn’t know if you were dead or dying or halfway across the world!” She shoved him in the chest, taking a step back. 

“Karen, wait.” Frank caught her arm as she tried to walk away. “I didn’t want to come back into your life until…”

“Until what?”

“Until I thought I could be all there.” Frank closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. “That shit fucked me up. I almost died. Hell, I think I made the choice  _ not _ to die.” He let go of her arm, covering his face as he inhaled sharply. “It was a lot. You didn’t need that. So I came here. Curt’s a good guy. He’s good at figuring this shit out. Helping guys like me make sense of the shit going through our brains. I didn’t want to be that crazy son of a bitch you had to put up with. I came here for me, but I came here for you too.”

Karen’s heart clenched, “For me?”

“Yeah. To see if there could be an after. To figure out if I was already too far gone.” Frank held her gaze. “I think I almost was. Any longer and maybe death would’ve been my home.”

Karen closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, “ _ Frank _ .” She pulled back just enough to look at him, her hand curling around the back of his neck. She wasn’t even certain which one of them bridged the gap. Him or her. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she was finally kissing him.

Frank’s arms were firm as they wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her to him. Her fingers played over the scar on his head, from the graze he’d gotten the day in the hotel. 

Karen’s other hand clutches at the front of his shirt, keeping him close as they broke for air. “Oh my God.” She breathed out, brushing her lips over his bottom lip. “I  _ need _ you.”

Frank groaned, his hand sliding to grasp at her ass, pulling her hips flush to his. She inhaled sharply, feeling the hard outline of his cock pressing against her through his pants. “Yeah and I need you.”

Karen looked around, noting that they were very much out in the middle of a very visible alleyway. “If we walk through that door are we in the room?”

Frank shook his head. “No. There’s a couple other rooms.” He told her, his eyes flicking to her lips. 

She leaned in and kissed him again, sliding her hand down to palm his through his pants, winding him up. “Think you can be quiet?”

“Do you think you can be?” Frank smirked, groping her ass, scraping his teeth over her bottom lip. 

“Guess we’ll find out.” Karen pulled away, stepping backwards towards the door. Were they really about to do this? At least it wasn’t as risky as going at it right here in an alleyway. God, what had gotten into her? 

Frank followed her into building, shutting the door behind them quietly. She could hear the group talking beyond one of the first doors, which was thankfully shut. “You sure about this?” He questioned, keeping his voice low as he followed her into an empty room. 

“Yes.” Karen told him, her eyes meeting his as she stepped towards him. “If we don’t, I think we’ll come up with a hundred reasons why we shouldn’t…” She honestly believed that too. If they overthinked this, went their separate ways, there wouldn’t be another time. “Let me in Frank.” She whispered, tugging at the zipper of his sweatshirt, slowly unzipping it, pushing it out  of her way. 

Karen held his gaze as she trailed her hands over his biceps. Her fingers found the scar from the piece of shrapnel he’d had in his arm when they parted ways in the elevator. She lowered her lips and pressed them to it, lingering there as he tangled his fingers in her hair. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it off of him, her eyes taking in the sight of his bare torso, covered in scars. 

“Promise me I’m going to get a chance to memorize each of these.” Karen remarked, brushing her fingers over one of the bullet wound scars on his chest. 

“I promise.” Frank breathed out, drawing her in for a kiss, his own hands working to pull her shirt out of her skirt, fumbling with buttons. 

Karen shuddered as he removed her shirt, her skin covered in goosebumps as the cool enveloped her. “ _ Frank _ .” She whispered, kissing him again as he walked them backwards, pressing her up against the wall. She could hear the group taking place through the thin walls, distinctive voices discussing missions that fucked with them and the people who just didn’t get their PTSD. 

She couldn’t help but wonder what Frank had said. If he’d ever brought her up. Probably not, she wasn’t part of the shit he was dealing with - had been dealing with. She just hoped she was part of the solution, part of what saved him from losing himself completely. 

Frank shoved her skirt up around her waist, before he worked his own pants down his hips. There was no reason to get completely undressed - they’d lost enough clothes to make this really count. 

“That’s it.” Karen bit down on her bottom lip as he rocked against her, his cock teasing her. 

“So fucking wet.” Frank mumbled, pressing his lips along her jawline as he kept teasing her. His cock felt absolutely sinful sliding over her slick flesh, just enough friction to start building up a release. 

Karen’s nails bit into his shoulders, not enough to leave anything more than a few crescent moon marks. “Come on. Haven’t we waited long enough?” She questioned, turning her head to catch his lips. “

Frank took the hint, lining himself and driving into her. He drew back, repeating the action, sinking into her fully, filling her with every inch of him. He thumped his fist against the wall, his lips clamped shut tightly. 

“ _ Shh _ .” Karen hissed, grabbing at his hand, lacing their fingers together, urging him not to make too much sound as they moved together. The last thing she wanted right now was to get interrupted. His movements were slow at first, finding a pace that they could move at together, before he built on it, starting to pound into her. 

Karen had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out. He was hitting some sweet spot within her that she was almost certain no one else had ever hit before. She tightened her legs around him, urging him on. “That’s it Frank.  _ Fuck _ that’s it.” 

Frank covered her mouth with a heated kiss, swallowing up her moans as she started to come undone, her body clenching around his. His pace was unrelenting, driving into her again and again, pushing her straight towards a second release. His hand tightened at her hip as his own release came. 

Karen didn’t want to untangle herself from him. She didn’t want to let him go. She didn’t want him to vanish on her. Disappear and never come back. But she knew that, realistically, she’d have to let go of him. “Is Curtis gonna be expecting you?” 

“ _ Unfortunately _ .” Frank sighed, pressing his forehead against hers. “Especially since Henry saw me out there. Might think I got kidnapped by the pretty blonde.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Karen’s cheeks went instantly red as those words slipped out of her mouth. “That was stupid. And maybe conceited.” 

“Sweetheart, we just fucked. Of course I think you’re  _ pretty _ .” He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb over the rise of her cheekbone, before he leaned in to kiss her. “I’m gonna tell them something came up. Wanna grab a cup of coffee?”

Karen rubbed her lips together and nodded. “I’d love to.” Her heart was pounding in her chest. So  _ this _ was the after that she never thought would come. This was it. 


End file.
